BONUS STORY:
Autograph Hounds: With Jim Bouton

"Are you anybody?" asks the leader of the group (of youthful autograph seekers).

"My name is Sam Ward," I say. "I'm a pitcher."

"Are you any good?" looking me over like he was inspecting cattle.

"I won sixteen games last year."

"Wow!' says a chunky little kid with braces. "How come we never heard of you?"

"Well," I say, "I won all sixteen games in Des Moines."

"Who is it, Jason?" hollers one of the men standing across the lobby.

"It's only Sam Ward, Dad."

"Well, get his autograph anyway," says the father. "You never know."
-- Strike Zone,
By Jim Bouton
and Eliot Asinof.

Jim Bouton understands the autograph hound, the voracious beast he affectionately calls Celebritum Vicarius. He remembers barking like one as youngster who adored the New York Giants and the Polo Grounds. He fondly recalls signing for the fans as a player, and today, Bouton meets 5,000 annual mailed requests. He recalls the day when a fan tried but failed to obtain the signatures of teammates Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle. The sluggers told the fan what he could do with his request. Bouton observed the proceedings from a distance and approached the youngster, who was probably all of 10 years old. "Hey, do you want my autograph?" Bouton recalled asking. "No," the kid answered.

Time passed and decades later the fan resurfaced to meet the now retired pitcher. He shared the story how he as a young boy rejected Bouton. Then he apologetically explained that he already had Bouton's signature. He simply had no need for another. "You know," Bouton told the admirer. "That bothered me all this time."

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